Amy Hamm: Attack ad with David Eby dressed as a communist could backfire

Kerry-Lynne Findlay, leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. since May 30, is out for blood.

Her party’s new attack ad on NDP Premier David Eby, scored with a Soviet Red Army-esque anthem, features the premier dressed as some type of decorated communist dictator. In an AI-generated scene, Eby spreads a map of the province on a war room table, a squad of silhouetted soldiers standing at attention behind him. The opening text is a quote attributed to Eby: “Conservatives are bringing culture wars to B.C.!”

It reads: “British Columbians have been living through the NDP’s culture war for nearly a decade.” It goes on to show images of a burning church; the toppling of Gastown’s Gassy Jack statue; a screenshot of a National Post story regarding a government guideline discouraging usage of the term “British Columbian”; clips of NDP MLAs using terminology about “settlers,” “uninvited guests,” “colonizers” and a B.C. “genocide”; and a book used to teach schoolchildren about “gender identity.” Eby’s map is then shown littered with pinned NDP flags, symbolizing his complete ideological conquest. The ad finishes by blaming Eby’s NDP for bringing a culture war to our beautiful province — while lying about who started it.

Nothing the attack ad explicitly states is false. Eby’s NDP has sown division and has abetted the ideological capture of our institutions with identity politics. It’s also true that Conservatives (big and small-c alike) are admonished with accusations of initiating or inflaming “culture wars” the moment they push back against the radical legislation or policies of leftist parties. This is a recurring and manipulative tactic of the left, not just in British Columbia. But will the image of the B.C. premier in communist regalia resonate with undecided voters, or turn them off the party entirely?

There appear to be three consistent reactions to the ad on social media: the party’s base is exultant; their detractors are indignant; and others appear perplexed.

Personally, I was delighted by the ad’s boldness — but I’m accustomed to life in the culture war trenches. The ad felt like an invitation for non-combatants to hop into the filth with seasoned soldiers. I’m not so sure they’ll like what they see.

The ad invites criticism for its historical invocations, which is exactly how one former Conservative MLA responded. Independent MLA Elenore Sturko, who defected from BC United to join the Conservatives and was then booted from the party by its former leader, John Rustad, condemned it heartily. “Millions of people have been murdered by totalitarian dictatorships and communist regimes. Millions suffer today. Making a mockery of that shows how unserious the BCC really is,” she quipped on X.

Few in B.C. bat an eye at the inflammatory rhetoric typically deployed by B.C.’s left (or left adjacent flip-floppers). Accusations of racism, transphobia, genocide, ableism, sexism, being “MAGA” — we are regularly inundated with flimsy — and outright false — examples of each. The political right, however, isn’t afforded the same artistic license with their rhetoric.

Perhaps it would have been more powerful to accuse Eby of launching our interminable culture wars without also dressing him up like a communist dictator. The facts speak for themselves, and so will the polls.

In May, the then-leaderless Conservatives had a 10-point lead over Eby, whose approval rating had tanked to 33 per cent. This week, Research Co. released a new online poll (taken prior to the attack ad) showing that the B.C. NDP has pulled ahead of the Conservatives, 44 to 39 per cent. It also revealed that the Conservatives “dropped five points among decided voters aged 55 and over” since the start of summer. While it’s only a single poll, Findlay (who still must win a seat in a by-election) and her party remain in a precarious position until the scheduled 2028 provincial election. Eby’s party has plenty of time to dump him as leader and bring in someone who at least appears moderate — a strategy that worked wonders for the Liberal Party of Canada and Mark Carney.

Findlay’s new attack ad might signal that she is unafraid of spooking undecided voters. It could also mean that her party is convinced that what they lacked under Rustad’s leadership was daring and nerve. She evidently has bucketfuls of each. But does she have the right strategy, or a willingness to adjust?

After all, Conservatives must win an election before they can win the culture war.

National Post